Weightlifting can reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes

TNI Bureau: Daily practice of Weightlifting in a balanced way can reduce risk of type 2 diabetes to a considerable extent and if done together with aerobic exercise, the disease can be controlled by up to almost 60 per cent – a study has suggested.

The researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, America and the University of Southern Denmark took 32,000 men and carried out the research for 18 years. The respondents were asked to fill in questionnaires every 2 years on their lifestyle and other factors that include data about their practice in television viewing, alcohol consumption, other exercise and family history of diabetes.

The researchers found that the men, who were doing weightlifting for one hour per week reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 12 per cent compared with those who did none. The second category, who were doing weight-lifting for 60 to 149 minutes per week, cut the risk by 25 percent and those doing the most, at least 150 minutes per week, reduced their risk by 33 percent.

Also, the subjects, who were doing Aerobic exercises, had a similar effect with reductions of 7 per cent, 31 per cent and 52 per cent respectively.

However, persons who did more than 150 minutes of aerobics as well as at least 150 minutes of weight training per week had a 59 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who did nothing. The findings were published online in ‘Archives of Internal Medicine.’